Daughter of the Bat
by Voodoo Doll Mana
Summary: (Pre-52 Canon) Years into the future, the Batkids have grown up and now a new generation of Bat family has taken on the challenges of being a super hero. Now, Damien Wayne - the Batman of Gotham - muses on the life and times of his Robin, the daughter of his former partner, Dick Grayson.
1. Chapter 1

Laughter rippled across the Batcave. Damian Wayne frowned, inclining his head to watch his sidekicks sweep past the bank of computer screens he'd been studying. Unsurprisingly, Grayson was leading the charge, her ebony curls dancing around her cherub face as she banked right, darting in and out of the shadows that dappled the cave. Thomas followed as quickly as his stocky, boyish frame allowed. A retort rested on the tip of Damian's tongue as he watched the pair gallivant through the various trophy cases, the girl's giggles bouncing across the pristine glass.

Hero Grayson swung wide as she came around the fallen Robins display, her lithe form twisting effortlessly. Damian felt of a twinge of sadness. Hero moved like her father, an impossible dance of grace and agility. Thomas swung around the case and tried to tackle Hero, but the older girl darted away in a blink, leaving the younger boy sprawled on the floor of the cave. Damian tutted as he rose from his chair.

"That's enough children," he snipped, drawing the long folds of his cape around his body, "Suit up."

Thomas scrambled to his feet and scurried away. Damian frowned, shooting Hero a withering glare as she loitered, an impish grin playing across her beautiful face. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled mischievously as she moved closer to Damian, unfazed by his glower.

"Grayson, I gave you an order," Damian growled, menacing over the girl. Hero smiled sweetly and brought her hands up to Damian's face, pushing back the cowl. Damian blinked in surprise as his niece wrapped her hands in his cape and pulled him down until he was eye level with the fourteen year old. Hero's smile turned shy for a second as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Damian's left cheek for the briefest second. In a flicker she was rushing towards the locker rooms, her cheeks stained ruby. Hero stopped ten feet from Damian and swung back around. Damian's lip twitched at the corner as he saw her gather up her bravado and stick out her dainty chin.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Damian," Hero yipped before she ran off. Damian waited until the girl was out of sight before he smirked and pulled his cowl back up over his head, hiding his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Thomas's eyes were drooping as he crawled into the backseat of the Batmobile. The ten year old Red Hood put on a strong front, but exhaustion emanated from the boy in waves. The passenger seat bounced as Hero vaulted into the car, the yellow of her cape seeming almost obscene against the overwhelming blackness of the car. Hero grinned despite her split lip, her body humming restlessly. Damian felt a groan welling up in his chest as he looked away from his Robin. Flashbacks to his days as Dick Grayson's sidekick came pouring back. Damian fought back the urge to sigh as he brought the Batmobile roaring to life. Next to him Hero was nearly buzzing as they swung out of the alleyway and flew through the streets of Gotham.

Back in the Batcave, Damian took pity on Thomas and sent him to bed after the boy had written up his report on the events of the night. As for Hero…

Damian actually did sigh when he found the young teen pouring over a Red Robin casebook, her lips pursed in deep thought as she studied a hand drawn diagram painstakingly drafted by Drake. Hero's eyes flickered up as her uncle neared, a half smile of greeting playing across her mouth before she turned back to her study.

"Go upstairs," Damian ordered. Hero shrugged one shoulder under her yellow cape, pushing it back from her scarlet tunic.

"Those thugs we fought down on the piers tonight reminded me of something I'd read in a file Red Robin made back in…" Hero murmured intently.

"That wasn't optional Robin. Upstairs. Now." Damian barked. Hero frowned up at Damian Wayne, her eyes laser sharp. Hero crossed her arms over her burdening chest stubbornly. Damian said a silent prayer to any deity that was listening that the filth of Gotham didn't start taking notice in his Robin. He wasn't ready to deal with litany of concerns if that happened. _Though it could be a useful distraction tactic,_ the Bat part of his mind noted. Damian pushed it aside quickly and glared at his niece.

"If you're awake than I'm awake too. Batman and Robin, partners," Hero retorted. Damian stamped down the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're as stupidly stubborn as your father," Damian snarled.

"And you're as grim and grouchy as grandfather," Hero bit back, arching one black brow as if daring him to deny her accusation. Damian grunted as he clapped a hand on Hero's shoulder, steering her towards the stairs.

"Upstairs and into bed, Robin. I'm right behind you," Damian assured Hero as he herded her up the staircase. Hero sighed as she stalked up the stairs.

"Liar," she snipped over her shoulder.

"Ungrateful wretch," Damian retorted.

"You adore me," Hero snickered, flashing Damian a final reluctant smile before she disappeared. Damian watched her go, unable to deny her final comment.


	3. Chapter 3

Thomas glowered at his breakfast, his mouth set in a thin white line. Damian could see Jason Todd shinning through his son, Thomas Todd-Grayson. When Jason had died, permanently this time, Dick had adopted Jason's infant son. The boy had tantrums much like his father and a stubborn streak that plagued the whole Wayne family. Somehow the training of the young Red Hood had fallen to Damian. Damian was reluctant to admit he felt a kinship with the young boy and his own rocky childhood.

Hero's voice wafted from the hallway as she breezed past the kitchen. The teen was talking into her communicator in hushed tones. Her eyes darted towards Thomas and her uncle as she passed. Damian arched a quizzical eyebrow as he regarded his niece's fugitive glance into the kitchen. Damian hummed low in his throat and glanced at Thomas. Thomas stared up at his uncle with round blue eyes, his auburn brows raised suspiciously.

"I wonder what she's getting into," Damian thought aloud. Thomas smirked, steepling his fingers like he'd seen Drake do when he was puzzling over something.

"It's Friday," Thomas deduced, his brow crinkling. "Teen Titans business?"

"Hmm," Damian hummed, scratching his chin, "She hasn't asked for a ride out to San Francisco yet."

"Dad might be picking her up," Thomas said with a shrug. Dick made it a habit to visit the children as often as possible, even if it was chauffeuring them between meetings. The JLA kept Dick busy these days as their Batman.

"Dick's on a mission this week," Damian informed the boy. A dark look crossed Thomas's face as he found himself out of the loop again. Damian made a mental note to keep a check on the boy's burgeoning temper.

"Grandfather?" Thomas tried again, stabbing at his now cold eggs.

"In Tokyo on business. And before you embarrass yourself, Drake is in Turkey and Brown is still on maternity leave," Damian said as he sipped his tea.

"You two are nosier than Oracle and Black Canary," Hero said from the doorway, an overnight bag hanging off her shoulder. Damian knew her Robin uniform was hidden away in a secret compartment in the bottom of the bag.

"So who's picking you up?" Thomas chirped. Hero stuck her tongue out at her younger brother.

"I don't have to tell you anything, brat," Hero snapped.

"But you do have to tell me," Damian warned. Hero frowned.

"Chris Kent is flying by to get me," Hero murmured. Damian glowered.

"You're not going anywhere with the alien-boy," Damian growled. Hero glared, her hands jumping to her hips.

"What is your problem with Chris? Is it because he's an alien or because he's a boy?" Hero chided.

"Both," Damian replied as he stood up, looming over his niece, "End of discussion." Damian left the kitchen while Hero sputtered like a wet cat.

"That wasn't a discussion you tyrant!" Hero hollered after her uncle.

The ride in the Batwing to San Francisco was dead silent, much to Damian's enjoyment. Hero sat in the co-pilot seat the entire ride, arms crossed fitfully as she brooded. Damian had to admit, Hero could brood with the best of the Bats. If he'd been Dick, he'd jokingly tell her he gave a 10 for effort but a 4 on style. But Damian wasn't Dick and he couldn't joke with his Robin.

Damian put the Batwing into a stealth hover over the Titan's tower and turned to Hero. The teen was doing her best to ignore her uncle as she grabbed up her bag and made for the exit. Damian stopped her with a hand around her wrist. He took a moment to marvel at how small and fragile it felt engulfed in the roughed grip of his fingers. Damian met Hero's startled gaze straight on, squeezing her wrist with as much tenderness as he could muster.

"Stay vigilante, Robin," he murmured roughly. Hero blinked her blue eyes slowly, a tiny smile coming to her mouth.

"Understood, sir," Hero replied before she disappeared to the back of the airship. Damian was thankful in that small moment that Hero knew what wasn't said, and that every word of it was true.


	4. Chapter 4

Damian could barely swallow around the lump in his throat as he watched Superboy fling aside an entire brick wall to pull Robin out from under the rubble. Hero's face was pale under her golden toned skin, her left arm hanging in a bad manner that Damian could tell was broken. Damian let his training take over, the Bat taking over and barking out orders even as the man fretted. The Teen Titans were quickly regrouping around their wounded leader. Robin set her mouth in a grim line as she order each of her teammates to aid Batman in the battle against a berserk android in downtown Gotham. Superboy gingerly handed Robin over to the newest Speedy, the archer helped the wounded Robin stand as the Kryptonian flew off.

Damian saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye as an Amazonian battle cry rippled across the rubble strewn battlefield. Wonder Girl charged the android, her fists pummeling its garishly grinning face. Spark flew the glowing lasso at the girl's hip. Superboy joined the fray as Kid Flash zipped between the android's legs. Damian leapt forward the moment he saw Wonder Girl tear away the android's chest plate, a mini EMP batarang lodging into the android's core ended the fight.

As the dust settled, Wonder Girl hovered over the fallen android, eyeing Robin. Reluctantly, the Amazonian lowered herself to the ground before the other girl. Wonder Girl's features were questioning and worried. Damian silently applauded Hero as she stood a little taller, her features unreadable.

"It's good to see you again, Robin," Wonder Girl murmured. Robin bobbed her head in acknowledgment.

"I could say the same to you…sister."

"It's just a broken arm, Donna. Normal kids break their arms all the time," Dick Grayson said nonchalantly but the quaver in his voice betrayed him as he and Donna Troy exited the JLA transporter and entered the Cave proper. Hero was sitting up on an examination table, broken arm cradled in her lap. Damian stood to the side, cowl up, observing his Robin. She was still pale, but she kept her mouth set in a stern line, her eyes set straight forward as Drake took her vitals.

"Don't even start with me, Grayson," Donna Troy snapped. The Amazon princess stopped short as she saw her daughter. Hero raised her chin a little higher, pulling together every inch of her regal bloodline to face her mother's fury. Damian smiled to himself.

Troia's wrath didn't fall to Robin, Instead Donna turned to Wonder Girl, Helena Troy. Helena flinched under her mother's accusing gaze.

"You were supposed to protect your half-sister," Donna snapped.

"I tried mother but we became separated in the battle and…" Helena gasped, trying to defend herself.

"It's not Helena's fault," Hero spoke softly but her voice held weight beyond her age. "I'm Robin and I'm a half Amazon. I'm a warrior born and raised. You cannot prevent every battle wound, mother. And you cannot blame my half-sister for my mistakes."

Donna gaped at her daughter. Damian caught Dick smirking in his peripheral. Tim broke the silence as he cleared his throat.

"Donna, we need someone to set Robin's arm. Her level of invulnerability makes in challenging for us to set ourselves," Drake murmured diplomatically. Donna's eyes looked panicked for a moment but her face remained grim as she moved to stand over her daughter. Hero wasn't invulnerable, per say, not like Superman or Wonder Woman. Hero could break bones and get cut still, but it took a hell of a lot more force to hurt the girl than it would a normal human being. It also meant that it took a meta to set her broken bones.

Donna took her daughter's broken arm into her hands gently. Damian felt a surge of pride as his Robin's face stayed neutral but she locked eyes with her mother. Donna swallowed once and wrenched the bones back into place. The crunching of bones and tendons echoed through the cave. Wonder Girl made a choking sound like she might vomit. Hero didn't even wince. Donna stepped away as Tim swooped in, putting Hero's arm into a sling dutifully. Dick moved forward once Tim had finished. He pushed back his cowl as he gave his daughter a faint, encouraging smile.

"My brave little girl," he murmured before he kissed her on the temple and stroked her back. Damian felt a moment of jealousy for Dick. Damian was never one for affection, he never thought he would be, but Hero was his Robin. That was a bond between them that ran deeper than uncle and niece. But Bruce had made it clear when grandchildren had come into the picture that if they chose to follow the Bat Legacy, they had to earn their way under a Batman that wasn't their parent. This decision hit Dick the hardest out of all of them because he'd been cut off from both of his children. Stephanie's baby was only a few months old and Drake and Damian hadn't had children yet. Damian understood Bruce's logic in separating the children from their parents. The mission would be compromised if Batman was distracted by his natural instincts to protect his child. There were moments though that Damian had to admit, if only to himself, that he wasn't sure if he wouldn't sacrifice the mission to protect Hero or Thomas.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Donna murmured, stroking her daughter's face. "You could come to Themyscira and live with the Amazons. You'll want for nothing in life, Hero."

"But I'm Robin, mother. I don't know what greater honor there could be," Hero replied solemnly. Donna bit her lower lip to hold back what Damian was certain had to be tears and nodded to her daughter. The Amazon quickly turned to Damian, her blue eyes burning. Damian remained impassive under his cowl

"I've lost a child before. I will kill you before I lose another," the Amazon warned. Damian nodded once and turned away, dismissing the meta. Donna and Helena quickly made their goodbyes and left, followed shortly by Drake. Dick moved to stand by Damian, out of Hero's earshot.

"Make that double for me, Little D," Dick growled before he disappeared in a whirl of his cape.


	5. Chapter 5

The days quickly turned into months and then years. Damian felt age coming into his bones and wondered how his father and Grayson dealt with it for so many years. If they could, he could grim and bear it. Damian sat brooding before his computer in the cave, his knee throbbing from the damp cold. He thought of Pennyworth and reluctantly missed the faithful old manservant. If not Pennyworth himself, at least he missed Pennyworth's tea.

As if by divination, a steaming cup of tea slid in front of Damian. He glanced up at Hero and gave the eighteen year old a nod. She smiled, a little tired, and leaned back against the console.

"We need to talk," Hero murmured. Damian snorted as he took a sip of his tea. It was nearly perfect.

"I'm a Wayne. We don't 'talk'," Damian replied. Hero rolled her eyes.

"I'm a Grayson and we cuddle. So unless you want me to forcefully hug you, you're going to speak with me Uncle Damian," Hero teased. Damian grumbled as he set down his tea cup.

"Talk if you must, Grayson."

"I'm leaving," Hero informed him in a clipped manner. Damian's frown deepened.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"You misunderstand. I'm no longer going to be Robin," Hero amended. Damian stared at her, waiting for her to tell him it was a joke. Hero remained silent.

"I don't understand. You're an excellent Robin. I'm not replacing you. We work well together. Why would you quit?"

"I need to find myself, Uncle Damian. Growing up you always knew you'd be Batman. Father knew he'd be Batman someday as well, but he was Nightwing before he was Batman. Even Uncle Tim was Red Robin and Uncle Jason was the Red Hood," Hero told him.

"Jason Todd never became Batman and Drake is still Red Robin. You don't have to leave if you want to move on to bigger things. You could become Batgirl or Batwoman. Batperson even, if we're going politically correct," Damian snorted. Hero looked away, her face masked by shadows. For once Damian actually regretted the darkness of the caves.

"I don't know if I'm a Bat," Hero murmured. The young woman was studying her hands tentatively as she spoke. "Father was a donor for mother, and as happy as I am to be alive, I have always felt that I was a mistake. Mother wanted an Amazon and what she got wasn't worthy of the title. I mean, look how quickly she had Helena with Achilles after I went to live with grandfather. As for father, I'm not sure he really thought about it before he agreed to be mother's donor. You know how he gets. Jumping into an idea he likes before he really stops to think about it. I know father loves me, and grandfather too, even if he won't ever say it, but I don't think they ever wanted a daughter. Sons are supposed to be Robins. Sons become Batman. There is no room for a daughter," Hero finished in a whisper.

Damian stood suddenly and did the only thing he could think of doing. He hugged Hero. It was brief but he'd thought of doing it since Bruce had handed the puckish eight year old over to him for training.

"I cannot speak for anyone else, but let me say this, Hero. You have never disappointed me as Robin or as a niece. You are a good soldier, no matter your gender. If you need to leave and discover who you are beyond Robin, than you go with my blessings and my support. If you need of anything, name it and it will be yours. And someday," Damian paused, tenderly putting a hand on the girl's ebony curls, "I hope you will return to us."

"I swear it," Hero whispered. Leaning forward, the young woman placed a kiss on her uncle's cheek.


End file.
